RCE Floyd Rose to Hardtail Conversion | Part 1

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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Introduction

The RCE six-string solidbody you see below has been in storage for more than a decade. To RCE's credit, this guitar is built from solid wood and features neck-through body construction. The neck itself is a five-piece laminate of maple and a darker wood, with the angled headstock attached via a scarf joint. I can't really identify the wood used for the fretboard, but the reddish-brown hue is totally natural. Unfortunately, a routine fret rocker check after straightening the neck has revealed 16 high frets. They've been marked with blue permanent marker in preparation for a full fret level and dress.

RCE Neck-Through Solidbody

Headstock | Front and Back

Neck | Front and Back

High Frets Marked

Close-Up of the Neck

Body | Front and Back

Pickup Cavities

Tremolo Recess

Control Cavity

Hardware and Electronics

We'll start with the Ning Bo double-locking tremolo, which is obviously a Floyd Rose clone. The Ning Bo suffers from grime infestation and serious corrosion. Making matters worse are three broken saddles. Looking closely, one can see that they're hollow on the inside; which explains why they broke so easily.

Ning Bo Double-Locking Tremolo

Grime and Corrosion

Three Broken Saddles

Moving on, let's examine the electronics and more hardware. Plastic hardware such as the pickup rings and various covers should be reusable after a good scrubbing. The same can't be said for most of the screws, nuts and washers; which are beyond saving. As for the 500K mini-pots, three-way blade switch and output jack that constitute the electronics; the less said the better. The good news is that the humbuckers are still working, and merely require servicing.

Electronics and Hardware

500K Pots and Three-Way Switch

Humbuckers and More Hardware

Knobs, Screws and Springs

Plan of Action

After numerous face-to-face discussions and phone calls, the owner and I have finally come up with an action plan of sorts. In a nutshell, this RCE will be restored, albeit with a few mods. To this end, quite a number of replacement parts will be utilized, with the emphasis being on quality and reliability. I have most of the items in stock, but some will need to be purchased online.

Replacement Parts on Hand

Something I've learned in days past is that the owner has never been comfortable with the double-locking tremolo system on his RCE. And, since Ning Bo has given up the ghost, it's as good a reason as any to install a hardtail bridge. And not just any hardtail bridge, mind you. He wants it in chrome, kickstarting a new hardware theme. No more black hardware, says he.

Down to the nitty-gritty, then. Installing a hardtail bridge will involve filling the tremolo recess with solid wood and creating a level surface. Some refinishing is also on the cards, I reckon. Anyway, here are two related pics, the first being a close-up of the currently-empty tremolo recess. Meanwhile, the second pic is a Photoshop mock-up of what the end result might look like, complete with filled tremolo recess, bridge humbucker and hardtail bridge.

Empty Tremolo Recess

Photoshop Mock-Up | Filled Recess

At the other end, we'll have an empty locking nut shelf to contend with [first image]. The owner would like a bone nut installed, and so it shall be. But the bone nut will only be supported on its front edge, via contact with the end of the fretboard [second image]. What about the back edge, then? It needs to be supported too. The most practical solution would be to glue a tapered fretboard extension onto the locking nut shelf itself, spanning the gap between the nut and the end of the shelf [third image].

Empty Locking Nut Shelf

Bone Nut in Position

Photoshop Mock-Up | Fretboard Extension